Foundational Standards

These standards provide a foundation for project management knowledge and represent the four areas of the profession: project, program, portfolio and the organizational approach to project management. They are the foundation on which practice standards and industry-specific extensions are built.

The PMBOK® Guide—Fifth Edition is the preeminent global standard for project management. It provides project managers with the fundamental practices needed to achieve organizational results and excellence in the practice of project management.

Organizations can benefit from achieving organizational project management maturity — when projects aren’t just executed randomly, but are tied to business strategy and support business goals. The Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3®) provides the tools organizations need to measure their maturity against a comprehensive set of organizational best practices.

If project and program management are disciplines for doing the work right, portfolio management is the discipline for doing the right work. Portfolio managers oversee a collection of projects or programs and other work that are grouped together to meet strategic business objectives.

Practice Standards and Frameworks

Practice standards are guides to the use of a tool, technique or process identified in the PMBOK® Guide or other foundational standards.

Project risk management is a tool you can use to identify and prioritize risks before they occur, in order to minimize negative impacts on your projects. Use this standard to better assess the risks that may threaten the success of your projects.

Based on the fundamental principle that past patterns and trends can be good indicators of the future, earned value management (EVM) helps you clearly and objectively see where your project is going and compare it to where it’s supposed to be. This standard describes the elements of EVM and offers examples of how it can fit any project or situation.

Project configuration management (PCM) is the collective body of processes, activities, tools and methods project practitioners can use to manage items during the project life cycle. PCM addresses the composition of a project, the documentation defining it and other data supporting it. It is a baseline- and requirements-management process that provides managed control to all phases of a project life

Work breakdown structures (WBS) are used to define project deliverables and establish the structure to manage work to completion. This standard supplies project managers and team members with direction for the preliminary development and implementation of work breakdown structures.

Effective project scheduling and time management are critical factors in the success or failure of a particular project. The Practice Standard for Scheduling transforms chapter six of the PMBOK® Guide, Project Time Management, into an actionable and objective measurement process for project schedules and schedule models.

Effective project management requires consistent and repeatable processes and methodologies to manage the constraints of scope, time, cost and quality. The Practice Standard for Project Estimating provides guidance for achieving that through a sound estimating discipline for your project.

This framework standard identifies ways to improve the personal competencies you need to be successful. Increase your capacity for personal growth with guidance for refining the three areas of project management competence: knowledge and skills, performance, and personal behavior and attitudes.

PMI Standards Extensions

Much of the PMBOK® Guide is directly applicable to construction projects. In the worldwide construction industry, though, project management concepts and practice have broadened. The changes differ sufficiently from other industries and applications to warrant this updated extension.

This standard outlines the guiding principles for government projects and provides a framework to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and accountability. It provides an overview of the key processes used in most public sectors, defines key terms, describes how government projects operate, and reviews government program life cycles.